By Palang Paul
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has condemned recent public statements by political actors alleging partisan bias and demanding the removal of its Chairman over the Commission’s compliance with a Court of Appeal judgment.
In a statement signed by its Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, the Commission said that while it recognises the right of stakeholders to express their views, it is imperative to clarify that INEC is a creation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The electoral umpire noted that the appointment, tenure, and removal of its Chairman and National Commissioners are strictly governed by Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The Commission stressed that its Chairman does not hold office at the pleasure of any political party or interest group.
According to INEC, any call for removal outside the established constitutional process is not only a distraction but a direct assault on the independence of the nation’s electoral umpire.
The Commission explained that while political parties or groups are allowed to protect their interests, it decided to comply with the Court of Appeal judgment to avert a repeat of the situations in Zamfara and Plateau States, where elected officials were removed by election tribunals due to disobedience of court orders.
INEC stated that it also sought to avoid violating the court’s preservative order, which barred the Commission from taking any step that would render processes already filed at the Federal High Court nugatory.
The electoral umpire added that proceeding to monitor the congress and convention of the David Mark-led ADC would have amounted to disobedience of that order, as the relief sought in the originating summons included an order restraining INEC from monitoring any meeting, congress, or convention of the party.
The Commission also noted that it had only accepted and approved David Mark’s executive committee on September 9, 2025, seven days after the matter was filed at the Federal High Court.
Citing Section 287, subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution, INEC stressed that every person and authority in Nigeria is mandated not only to obey the judgments of the Court of Appeal but also to enforce them.
The electoral umpire argued that, far from undermining the multi-party system, the Commission under Professor Joash Amupitan has actively expanded the democratic space.
INEC pointed to the recent registration and recognition of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and the National Democratic Party, bringing the total number of active political parties to 22, which it described as an empirical rebuttal to any claim of a one-party agenda.
According to the Commission, its updates to party leadership records are strictly anchored on compliance with subsisting court orders and statutory requirements under the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC maintained that it will not be drawn into the internal strife within political parties, nor will it allow itself to be used as a proxy for resolving organisational challenges that belong to the parties themselves, especially when the Court of Appeal has ordered an accelerated hearing.
The Commission also noticed an attempt to politicise the planned nationwide Voter Revalidation exercise.
The decision to revalidate the Voters Register pre-dates the appointment of Professor Amupitan.
The proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise is a professional necessity to strengthen the integrity of the National Register of Voters.
The current register includes data spanning from 2011 to 2024. This exercise is designed to sanitise the register and is to be executed in phases.
The revalidation is intended to confirm the status of registered voters, address issues arising from transfers, multiple registrations, and deceased persons, and enhance the reliability of voter data in Nigeria. It is an administrative audit, not a fresh registration. It is not targeted at any region, party, or demographic. It is a uniform, transparent process that will be conducted across all Local Government Areas and polling units, with robust digital options for ease of access. All the stakeholders will be carried along on this issue
The electoral umpire added that it is currently focused on the surgical precision required for the forthcoming off-cycle elections in Ekiti in June 2026 and Osun in August 2026.
INEC acknowledged that some of its decisions can be challenging and may not always align with individual party interests, but stated that it remains dedicated to fostering an electoral environment where transparency and fairness prevail.
The Commission emphasised that its decisions are based on thorough evaluations and aligned with the legal framework governing its operations, including adherence to the rule of law.
INEC added that those decisions are intended to ensure free, fair, and credible elections, which ultimately serve the interests of all stakeholders rather than specific political entities.
The electoral umpire stressed
that it remains committed to delivering elections that are free, fair, credible, and inclusive.
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